Explosion venting in dust collectors: a critical review of standards for reduced pressure and reaction force duration

Dust explosions pose a critical risk in industrial settings. A global survey of incidents from 2016 to 2023 shows that dust collectors remain a leading source of dust fires and explosions, accounting for nearly 25% of all reported cases in that span. Although dust explosions in storage silos have been extensively studied, research specific to dust collectors is limited, leaving existing venting standards under-validated and potentially underestimating hazards. This work evaluates the accuracy of these standards by comparing their predictions of reduced pressure (P_red) and reaction force duration (t_r) against results from industrial-scale experiments. The findings reveal that current guidelines can significantly over- or underestimate these key explosion parameters, raising concerns about designs that may be insufficiently robust or overly conservative. The study concludes that revising venting requirements to incorporate updated experimental data can markedly improve predictive accuracy and system safety. By informing engineers, safety specialists, and policymakers, this research aims to advance more reliable, tailored explosion prevention and protection strategies for dust collector systems.